Undercover
by daffodil729
Summary: I've never written a request before, but FeralG3 contacted me about a Steve/Kono pairing and I thought it was an interesting idea! Set in Season 2, feelings are realized when Steve and Kono go undercover. After the case is closed, will the two continue to form a relationship, or will they decide their ohana-and Five 0-is better if they only remain friends?
1. Chapter 1

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!" Jenny said, picking up a fry and looking across the table at her best friend. "What have you been up to?"

"Working, mostly," Kono said, taking a bite of her burger. "We've been really busy lately. It seems like we wrap up a case and then pick up a new one less than twenty-four hours later."

Jenny nodded. "I'd heard that."

Jenny and Kono had been best friends since childhood and had attended the police academy together. While Kono took the position with Five-0, Jenny went to work for HPD after graduation.

"I'm glad everything got cleared up with IA," Jenny said.

Kono sighed. "Me too. That was…hard, you know?"

"I can't imagine," Jenny shook her head. "You're lucky to have a team like Five-0 though. Any time IA comes into HPD, everyone scatters. It doesn't matter if they've been friends with the officer for years. Five-0 didn't abandon you."

"No, exactly the opposite, really. They were pretty determined to get to the bottom of everything." She shook her head, remembering all the confrontations between herself and the team, especially Steve. For whatever reason, he wouldn't let it go, wouldn't take her answers as good enough. She winced as she remembered him yelling at her in the interrogation room. Seeing how much she had disappointed him and how angry he was with her nearly killed her. She was thankful things were finally back to normal between them. He was a person who didn't trust easily, and she had betrayed that trust. It had been a lot of hard work on her part to earn it back. Not that she blamed him; no, this was all on her. She just wished it never happened.

"Did Steve really punch Freyer? All of HPD was talking about it, but I couldn't separate rumor from fact."

"Oh, yeah," Kono said. "Told him that nobody messes with his team after he busted his lip."

Jenny grinned. "I can't imagine Captain Freyer having it handed to him like that. He thinks he's so high and mighty, you know."

"Well, Steve…." Kono paused, trying to think of how to explain it. "Steve just doesn't care. He answers to the governor, that's it. He could care less about the rest of them. Besides, with being the commander of Five-0, he outranks them anyway."

"I know things got a little crazy there for a while, but did you ever do anything about what we talked about?"

Kono knew exactly what Jenny was referring to. In a moment of emotional clarity (probably fueled by alcohol, if she was being honest) she had confessed to Jenny that she had feelings for Steve. Big, deep, _intense_ feelings that were becoming harder and harder to ignore.

She shook her head. "No. And things just finally got back to normal with him, so I'm not going to anyway. Maybe it's just better that way." She shrugged.

"Is that really what you think?"

Another shrug. "He's my boss. He's my cousin's friend. I'm pretty sure he still sees Catherine when she comes into port. There's a lot stacked against us, Jen."

"Maybe so. But that doesn't mean you can't just try and see where it goes. Or at least flirt a little bit. Test the waters. If he doesn't seem to be interested, just drop it and pretend you weren't even doing it in the first place. If he does seem interested though…" Jenny wiggled her eyebrows at Kono.

Kono laughed, throwing her straw paper at Jenny. "Yeah. Maybe."

* * *

The case had reached a standstill. Steve hadn't wanted to send Kono in undercover but he didn't see another option. She had volunteered anyway. From their work so far on the case, their best guess was that there was a vigil ante attacking men who picked up women in bars. The basic timeline was that a man would meet a woman at a bar or club, go to his or her hotel room, then be killed after leaving. They had watched the footage from the bars and clubs. There was no physical type that was being targeted, no obvious similarities between any of the cases. They had noticed it was happening to couples who seemed to be very into one another, very handsy, but other than that…nothing. They had no leads, no witnesses, absolutely nothing else to go on. And so sending Kono undercover was the best option.

By night three of sitting in bars and clubs, Steve was growing restless. They were no closer to solving the case, and he was tired of watching Danny try to flirt with Kono. He sat at the bar with Chin, peeling the label on his beer, lazily watching Danny and Kono from across the room.

"You need to sell it, _Daniel,"_ he growled over the open communication link.

"I'm trying," Danny said.

"Well, you obviously suck at this," Steve grouched.

"And you obviously suck at being patient," Danny retorted. "But if you think you can do better at selling this and pulling this guy out of the woodwork, then be my guest, _Steven._ "

Chin chuckled as Steve shoved his bar stool back and stood up. He stood to his full 6'2". Walking across the room, he got the attention of every woman he passed and a few men as well. Wearing a black button up and jeans, he was the picture of the ultimate alpha male. The top two buttons near his neck were unbuttoned and his sleeves were rolled up, showing off muscular forearms. He walked with purpose and self-assurance.

"I think that's _'Challenge accepted, brah,'_ in McGarrett-speak," Chin said over the link.

Steve reached the table, a million dollar smile on his handsome face. Not knowing who or where their suspect was, he slipped into undercover mode as soon as he started talking.

"Hey," he said to Kono in a voice as dark and as smooth as silk.

 _Oh, sweet Lord. Steve McGarrett has a bedroom voice_ , Kono thought to herself, immediately feeling her pulse quicken. "Hi," she replied. She cringed when her voice squeaked.

Steve grinned wickedly. _Did he know the effect he was having on her?_ she wondered. Crap. She was one minute into this, and already she was out of her league. Danny was so much safer, like a friend or even a brother. Not like… _this._

After a moment, Danny stood up and left the table, allowing Steve to slide into his seat. Steve, ever confident, flagged down a waitress with a flick of his hand. "Two gin and tonics please," he said, his eyes never leaving Kono.

"Ordering for me?" Kono asked. "Isn't that a little forward?"

"Not at all," Steve replied, not missing a beat. His eyes still hadn't left her face and she found herself looking away, desperate for a reprieve. "Tell me about yourself."

"Native Hawaiian, traditional family, one sister, former professional surfer…that about sums it up."

"Oh I doubt that," Steve purred. She had to look away, blushing.

"Tell me about you."

"My not-so-traditional family has been here since my grandfather was stationed at Pearl Harbor in the 40s, one sister who causes a tremendous amount of trouble, Annapolis graduate, Navy SEAL, served multiple tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Back here because of a series of unfortunate events and a decision that was made on a whim because I was pissed off at a guy I'd just met. It's working out okay though." He grinned.

Kono smiled. She heard Danny and Chin chuckle over the link. "Oh is it? I recently started a new job too. It's working out okay as well. It's nice to be a part of something so good, ran by a man who's respected by so many. You know, the governor even told us that his superiors said he was the best they'd ever seen."

"You probably shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"What about everything I see?" Kono looked him straight in the eye.

Steve drained the rest of his drink, his eyes never leaving hers. "Would you like to dance?"

"I was beginning to think you couldn't," she teased.

"What're you talking about? I'm in the Navy. Drinking and dancing are part of the required skilled set."

Kono laughed, taking his hand as he offered it to her.

* * *

 _This may have been a bad idea,_ Kono thought as she leaned into Steve's arms. _A really bad idea._

She kept telling herself that this was all undercover work. It was all acting. Except it wasn't; not for her. She could hear his heartbeat as she pressed against his chest and his breath on the top of her head. She could smell his cologne, his soap, the scent that was all him, and it was overpowering. And she could feel. Oh, could she feel. His arms wrapped tightly around her, his legs close to hers as they moved and swayed together to the slow music. She pressed further into him, wondering if he was feeling anything close to what she was.

* * *

He was. At the same time all those thoughts were running through her head, his was filled with many of the same. When she pressed harder against him, he shifted, not quite sure how he felt about the effect his subordinate was having on him and most definitely not wanting her to realize that. At least not right now, not right here, not when Chin and Danny could see, could hear…

* * *

"Hey, there's someone watching you," Danny said quietly. "To your left, Steve. Blonde woman in a black dress."

"You think it's her?" Kono asked.

"I think it's a good possibility," Danny replied.

"Time to finish this, guys," Chin said. "You need to really get her attention."

Kono looked into Steve's eyes and saw conflicting emotions there. "Ready, boss?" she whispered.

"Don't call me that right now," he said, putting his mouth on hers.

* * *

Kono had been kissed before. Lots of times, really. But she'd never been kissed like this. She was certain that if his hands hadn't been around her waist, she would have sunk to the ground in a heap. And when his tongue gently brushed across her lips, silently asking permission, she was gone, completely lost to him and what he was doing.

* * *

"Hey," Danny said through the link. "Hey. _Hey!"_

"Hm?" Steve mumbled around Kono's mouth.

"Uh, point taken guys. Pretty sure she totally bought it. As did everyone else in here. Move on to stage two."

"Got it," Steve said, leading Kono through the crowd. He threw a few bills on the table and then strode out the door, stopping to kiss her again just outside the door. That wasn't in the script. "Kono, I—"

"I know," she breathed, kissing him back.

"This has—" he started again before deepening the kiss, vying for control.

" _I know."_

* * *

Steve fought to get himself back under control as he drove to the Hilton. He should've stuck to the plan. He should've let Danny be the one with Kono. Instead, he had to put himself right into the middle of this situation that he knew he shouldn't be in. Not smart. Not smart at all. And the Hilton was the last place he wanted to go. The hotel room they were headed to was already outfitted with surveillance gear for the hotel. Worse, Chin and Danny would be there.

No, Steve didn't want to the Hilton. He wanted to take Kono home and—

"Are you using combat breathing right now?" Kono asked, smiling. She'd been listening to him for the last several minutes.

"Yes!" Steve huffed.

* * *

At the hotel, Danny and Chin were waiting. "So…how is this going to go?" Danny asked hesitantly.

"I have no idea, brah. No idea," Chin answered, shaking his head.

"It was bound to happen," Danny said.

"It was," Chin agreed.

"Think he'll actually let it happen?" Danny asked.

"Not sure, brah," Chin answered. "We may be in for a bad time if he doesn't though. That was really…intense."

Danny checked his watch. "They should be here soon. I'll check in with them and make sure everything is going to plan."

* * *

"McGarrett," Steve snapped, answering the phone.

"Hey, babe," Danny said, choosing to ignore his partner's tone. "Just checking in. Still being followed?"

"Yes."

"ETA?"

"Two minutes out."

"See you soon then."

* * *

Kono took a deep breath. "Ready?"

Steve's head was against the steering wheel. He grunted but made no effort to move.

"Is it that painful to kiss me?" she teased.

He raised his head to look at her before dropping it back down. "Right now, yes. Yes, it is."

"Well, suck it up, commander," she grinned. "We have a mission."

He sighed.

The tension had been there between them for weeks. A heated glance here, heavy flirting there. And now this. She was just as turned on as he was, but was slightly better at controlling the frustration.

But a mission was a mission, and Steve was nothing if not driven when it came to such things. Casually glancing to make sure the blonde woman had followed them into the parking lot, Steve walked to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door for Kono. She easily slipped out, but instead of putting her feet on the ground, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. This wasn't part of the script either. Sure, they needed to kiss and act the part, but…

"Kono, what are—" he started to say.

Finding his mouth with hers, she slipped her tongue in. He groaned into her mouth, encouraging her on as he lifted her and pressed her against the side of the truck.

"Oh, God," he moaned, grinding against her.

"Uh, Steve? Com's on," Danny's voice came through their ears.

"Don't care," Steve mumbled.

Danny muttered something about Navy SEALs and having no shame.

"Nothing to be ashamed of," Kono said around kisses. "No secret. Everybody does it."

"If you're lucky," Danny groused.

Steve gasped as Kono moved her lips to his neck and traced a single finger just under the waistband of his jeans.

"I can't listen to this," Danny said. "I'm taking my earpiece out. I hope you don't need backup."

"I'm going to need the room, Chin," Kono said. Chin and Danny (who hadn't taken his earpiece out after all) could hear the smile in her voice.

"You got it," Chin said. "After, ah, _earlier_ , we decided to set up in the adjoining room."

"Good call," Kono replied. "Heading in to the hotel now."

"She's still behind you?"

"Affirmative."

"We're watching the cameras," Danny said. "You two be careful though. She's dangerous."

"Got it, Danno," Steve replied. His arm was around Kono's shoulders as they waited for the elevator. When it arrived, they were surprised when the blonde stepped onto the elevator with them. Steve tapped the button before nodding at the lady. "Floor, ma'am?"

She smiled. "Ten, also."

He returned her smile, then turned his attention back to Kono, dipping his head as if he were whispering something in her ear. She played along, giggling and playfully swatting his arm. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her head for a kiss. The kiss kept getting deeper, the two of them touching each other tenderly as the floors ticked by. The woman, meanwhile, edged closer.

"What is she doing?" Danny asked Chin as they watched the security camera footage.

"I have no idea. Look how close she is," Chin answered. "And the way she's watching them is just creepy."

"Yeah."

In the elevator, Steve and Kono had all but forgotten the suspected murderer occupying the space with them. They were far too into each other. She followed them as they stumbled off the elevator toward their room. They were trusting Danny and Chin to watch over them and handle anything that came their way. Their teammates had everything under control.

Meanwhile, they needed _this._

The woman stayed several paces behind, watching. Hands were everywhere, mouths fighting for dominance. She couldn't wait to get this one. He would be fun.

* * *

Danny and Chin heard their two teammates crash against the door and shook their heads.

"What do you want to watch?" Danny asked, turning on the tv. "That's your cousin…and your boss. We're going to need to drown this out. There are certain things you can't unhear."

* * *

Kono had dreamed of this moment for well over a year. At first, her feelings for Steve were purely physical. He was gorgeous. Then it became more than that. He was smart and funny and kind. The more time she spent with him, the more time she wanted to spend with him, whether it was at his house relaxing or at the beach surfing or even at work. She couldn't get enough of him. She hoped the feeling was mutual. It certainly was right now, and that was enough for the moment.

She pushed him back on the bed, climbing on top of him. "Look," Kono said, kissing him hard. "I know this is our first time. I know you want to be a gentleman and be slow and romantic, but we're past that today, okay?" She kissed him again, then trailed kisses down to his neck, collarbone, chest, stomach, right below his naval. His hips bucked at that, wanting more, _needing more._

"So today I'm giving you—and me—what we _need._ I'm in control of _this_ mission. Got it, Commander?"

Steve groaned. "Please…."

In one fluid motion, clothes were flying. Both in very good physical shape, they appreciated the other's body. Kono settled back on top of him and found a rhythm that pleased them both.

"Kono," Steve moaned. "I'm not gonna last long. Not…if you don't…stop."

"Mmm, that's my plan," Kono nibbled his ear, eliciting another sweet noise from him. "Remember, I'm in control here, _Commander_. Now," she whispered softly. "Come for me."

Moaning her name, he did as she asked, taking her with him into a blissful oblivion.

* * *

"They are not quiet people," Danny said, looking straight ahead at the tv.

"Nope," Chin said, also staring ahead with eyes wide. "Walls are thin here, too."

"Yeah. Really thin."

* * *

"That was…" Kono started.

"…yeah," Steve finished, looking at the ceiling.

"I guess we should get back to work?" Kono asked hesitantly.

"Probably so," Steve confirmed. He realized he could hear the tv from the next room pretty clearly. "Shit."

Realization dawned on Kono. "I bet they heard everything."

Steve, forearm slung across his eyes, only nodded.

* * *

After showering quickly, and pointedly _not_ discussing what had happened, they knocked on the door between the two rooms.

Chin opened the door, face neutral but laughter in his eyes.

"Uh, hi," Kono said.

"Oh, hi," Chin replied. "Are you two the ones we had to call the front desk about? There are rules about noise levels after midnight…"

"Shit," Steve said, realizing he'd been right before.

"Is that your favorite word tonight?" Kono punched his arm.

From somewhere behind Chin, Danny could be heard. "No, pretty sure that wasn't it, Kono. There were several words that seemed to be his favorite, as well as a couple of phrases, but that wasn't one of them."

Steve gave Chin and Kono a tight-lipped smile.

"Excuse me," he said, pushing by them and going into the next room.

There was a scuffle then an "Ow!" from Danny.

Kono looked at her cousin and shrugged. "He deserved that." Chin nodded.

* * *

"Alright," Chin said. "We've kept an eye on her the entire time you two were…occupied. She hasn't done anything but pace the halls. She obviously doesn't have a room here, and she's never left this floor. She's waiting."

Steve nodded. "Okay. Let's see how she does this, then. All of her victims have been bigger than her."

"She has to subdue them some way," Danny said. "You be careful, babe. She's crazy."

"Will do, Danno," Steve said, heading into the hallway. Sure enough, the woman began to follow him as he walked toward the elevator. As he came to the corner, though, he rounded on her and knocked the syringe she was holding out of the way. Using the element of surprise, he quickly detained her. They learned she subdued her victims with narcotics before killing them, and when asked why she killed, the only reason she gave was because she liked it. She chose victims at random, for no reason at all. Not revenge or drugs or money. Just for the thrill of it all. She kept her method the same because she wanted to be known for having a signature. Cases like this made Steve sick.


	2. Chapter 2

The following three weeks were busy. There wasn't any time to discuss what had happened, what it meant, or where they'd go from here. The cases were constantly rolling in, Steve had several long meetings with the governor and an obligation for a Reserve drill and parachute recertification. He, in short, was slammed. To make matters worse, the flu had made its way through both HPD and Five-0, leaving both departments short-handed and struggling. Danny, Chin, and Kono had all missed work due to the flu, and Steve hadn't had a day off or a day when he worked less than twelve hours in over three weeks.

* * *

Danny, Chin, and Kono were ecstatic to see Friday roll around, finding themselves completely back to normal in time for the weekend. There was paperwork to finish for a couple of cases they'd wrapped up that morning, but the three officers were hoping to cut out of the office early, or at the very least on time.

"Hey," Danny said, poking his head into Steve's office. "Is it okay if I take off a little early today? I have Grace this weekend. I know there's all that paperwork, but it'll keep til Monday, won't it?"

Steve forced himself to bite back a sigh. He smiled instead. "Sure, Danno. That's fine."

Danny grinned. "Great! Well, have a good weekend. Hey, I may bring Grace swimming or something? Will you be around?"

"Should be," Steve said, yawning.

"Hey," Danny said, taking a closer look at his partner. "You need to get some rest. You've been working too much lately."

"Didn't have much of a choice, Danno."

Danny thought for a minute. "Yeah. Guess that's true." He shrugged. "Anyway, get some rest this weekend, okay?"

"Sure thing."

With that, Danny was gone.

Steve returned to the paperwork, but the headache he had was keeping him from being able to concentrate easily. He had read the same sentence no less than five times when Chin knocked on his office door.

Steve took his hands away from the keyboard and leaned back in his chair as he waved Chin in. "Hey, brah. I know this week has been tough; well, the last few weeks, really, and I hate to ask, but I need a favor. Malia's parents are coming over for dinner and she needs a few last minute things from the grocery store. She asked if I could pick them up. Would you mind if I left in time to do that and get home in time for her to cook?"

"That's fine. Is your paperwork finished?" Steve said, rubbing his forehead and returning to work. Not only did he need to finish his paperwork, but it looked like he would need to finish Danny's too.

"Well…no, not exactly. Can I finish it on Monday?"

"Just bring it to me. I'll finish it. I'm doing Danny's anyway—yours won't be that much more." He rubbed at his head again.

"Headache, brah?" Chin asked.

"Yeah."

He frowned at the younger man. "You need to find some time to relax and recharge this weekend. You've had a lot going on lately."

"Yep. Will do, just as soon as I finish here," Steve replied in a short tone.

Chin didn't seem to notice. "Okay. Have a good weekend, brah."

Taking a deep breath, he started on the paperwork again when there was another tap on his door. He threw his pen onto his desk and dramatically slumped back into his chair when Kono came in.

"What?" he snapped. "Where do you need to go? You know what, never mind. Just bring your paperwork to me and go. Nobody else has finished theirs anyway—why should you?"

Her eyes went wide. "Whoa."

Steve blew a breath out. "I'm sorry." He rubbed his face.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired of hearing how I'm working too much and need to find time to catch up on sleep this weekend either right before or right after someone asks to take off early and leave me with their paperwork." He rubbed at his forehead again.

She opened his desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of Motrin and grabbed a water from the fridge in his office. She shook two into her hand and gave them to him.

"Thanks," he said softly.

"I'm meeting Jenny for dinner at five thirty. Let me help with the reports until then, okay? If they're still not finished, I can tell her I'll be late or I can come back after we eat. Mine are all finished. They just need your signature." She smiled kindly at him. "You don't have to do this all on your own, okay? I know you have to be exhausted after how you've been working the past few weeks."

They worked on the reports in Steve's office and made a good amount of headway, but still hadn't finished by the time Kono needed to leave to meet Jenny.

Poor Steve looked absolutely exhausted, and she felt terrible about leaving. "Look. Why don't you just go home? We finished most of them. We can get the rest on Monday, okay?"

Steve nodded. "Okay."

"That was too easy," Kono said. "You're not going to listen to me, are you?"

"No. I'll go home as soon as I finish. It shouldn't take much longer. Thanks for your help."

Kono smiled. "No problem."

* * *

Kono was distracted.

"Hello?" Jenny said. "Have you heard anything I've said?"

"What? I'm sorry," she apologized, sighing. "I was just thinking…I left Steve working on some reports that Danny and Chin had abandoned," she explained, rolling her eyes. "He just seemed so tired. I hope he finished up and went home."

"I heard he was the one that kept both HPD and Five-0 running while so many people were out. He has been working nonstop. At least it seems like it has ran through pretty much everyone now and is slowing down. Hopefully things will get back to normal now."

Kono frowned. "I hope so. I'm worried about him."

Jenny shrugged. "Why don't you just call him? Make sure he's home."

Kono nodded. That seemed reasonable. Not overstepping her boundaries; not overbearing. Just a concerned friend making a friendly phone call. Right? She grabbed her bag to get her phone but quickly realized it wasn't there. "Ugh. I must have left my phone on my desk," she told Jenny. "I guess I'll go get it after I leave here."

* * *

Kono wasn't surprised to see Steve's truck still in the Palace parking lot. The man was a workaholic and couldn't bear for things to be unfinished. Sometimes he took too much on and put too much pressure on himself. She was angry at Chin and Danny, too. They should have realized the position they were putting him in, and they should have pulled their own weight, especially since he had been working so hard to keep up with everyone else's slack lately. She was going to tell them that, if not over the weekend, then first thing on Monday morning.

The Five-0 office was dark except for Steve's desk lamp and the small amount of weak sunlight still streaming through the blinds. Kono grabbed her phone from her office, then went to say bye to Steve…again. She was about to burst through the door when she happened to glance through the glass. Steve was at his desk, head on his arms, clearly asleep. The reports were stacked neatly on the corner of his desk, along with the fax confirmation from the governor. _So he finished all of them_ , she smiled. _Overachiever._ She quietly opened the door, moving closer to the desk to get a better look at him. He was pale with dark smudges under his eyes and his cheeks were flushed. He'd looked tired before she left for dinner with Jenny, but she knew he didn't look this bad. The last two hours had not been kind to him. His breathing sounded rough, and she could tell his nose was stuffy. _Crap_ , she thought. _He's getting sick._

"Steve?" she said softly. When he didn't move, she tried a little louder. "Steve?"

He jerked awake suddenly, eyes immediately—albeit tiredly—scanning the room. "What?" he said hoarsely, seeming confused. "What? I fell asleep?" He coughed.

Kono nodded. "It looks like it, boss. Are you feeling okay?"

Steve looked at her, then rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm tired." He sneezed into his elbow. "I thought you left?"

"I did. Forgot my phone." She held it up, like she needed proof of her mistake. "I saw your light was on, so I came to say bye again, and saw that you were asleep. I just…I'm sure that's not a comfortable place to sleep. Didn't want you to wind up with a crick in your neck or something."

She inwardly cringed. _God, Kono, can you sound any more stupid?_

Steve looked at her for a minute. "Yeah, no, you're right." He coughed. "I'm going now." He switched off the light and stood, perhaps too quickly. He closed his eyes as a wave of dizziness and nausea passed over him, grabbing the edge of the desk for stability. "Mm," he mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Kono asked, stepping closer.

He took a deep breath and faked a smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He grabbed his gun and badge from his desk drawer. Kono noticed that his movements were much slower than normal.

Without making a big deal out of it, she quietly made sure she stayed behind him. She wasn't so sure he wasn't going to pass out. They left the Five-0 office, stopping to lock up. Steve started toward the stairs, but Kono grabbed his elbow.

"Can we take the elevator?" she asked. When he looked at her, she quickly explained. "My knee. It aches sometimes, you know. Like now."

He shook his head and gave her a slight smile. "Liar," he said, allowing her to steer him toward the elevator.

"Yeah, well," she grinned. "Someone has to give you an out from time to time."

He coughed harshly, wincing, as they walked out of the building.

"Keys," Kono said, holding out her hand.

Steve looked at her blankly. "What?"

"Your keys," she repeated. "I'm driving you home." She ushered him around to the passenger side.

"Why?" Steve looked confused.

"Because in case you haven't noticed, you're coming down with something, Commander. Now, you, in."

"'M not sick," Steve mumbled. "Jus' tired."

Kono smiled to herself. "Okay. Just tired then. But wouldn't it feel better to rest your eyes than to have to drive?"

"Yeah…I guess. Jus'…." he trailed off, eyes already closing.

"Just what?" Kono asked, shaking his shoulder slightly.

"Jus'…please be easy. I really do get carsick."

She gave a tiny smile at his admission. "I'll drive carefully."


	3. Chapter 3

Though she had tried her best, she had watched Steve's face go from pale to ashen to green before her eyes on the ride to his house.

"I'm sorry," she said. Traffic hadn't been light and she knew the stop-go pace wasn't helping him at all.

He was breathing carefully. "It's okay," he said, eyes closed. "Not your fault. There are peppermints in the console. Can you hand me one? Can't open my eyes right now…"

"Sure," she said, grabbing one and unwrapping it for him. "Do they help?"

"Yeah, some. Usually."

She nervously took a sideways glance at him. He still looked bad. "So…" she said hesitantly. "You'll let me know if I need to pull over?"

"Yeah," Steve said quietly. He shivered and made a soft sound. _Was that a whimper?_

She could still see he was breathing deeply. "You okay?"

"Tired," he mumbled. "Head hurts."

"Okay. Just rest. We'll be home soon." Kono caught her slip as soon as it left her mouth. "I mean, your house. We'll be to _your house_ soon." She stumbled over her words before realizing that he was already asleep. She sighed, then whispered softly. " _Home_ sounds okay too."

* * *

"Steve? We're here."

The commander didn't stir.

"Steve?" She walked around to the passenger side of the truck, opened the door, and gently shook his shoulder a tiny bit.

Steve blearily blinked his eyes open.

"Hey," she whispered, touching the side of his face. She frowned. "You're really warm."

"No…'m cold," he sniffed, shaking his head, like Kono was obviously terribly confused.

"Alright. Cold, not warm; tired, not sick. Got it. Let's get you inside."

The short walk from the driveway to the front door had worn him out. He didn't want to rely on Kono so much, but he didn't have much of a choice. He was lightheaded and black dots were beginning to cloud his vision.

"Kono," he mumbled. "Might pass out."

She looked at him worriedly. "Thanks for the warning. It's okay. I've got you." She tightened her hold around his waist while opening the door single handedly. "Bed or couch? I'm sure you'd rest better in bed."

Steve shook his head a tiny bit. "Can't make it that far. Just need to lie down."

Holding onto Kono he stumbled toward the couch. She helped him lie down and felt how badly he was shivering. She grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and tucked it around him.

"Thank you," he mumbled, looking at her tiredly. "Don' know wha's wrong with me." He frowned.

She gently smoothed her hand across his sweaty forehead. "Want to know what I think? I think you've ran yourself ragged over the last three weeks. You've worked long hours without taking a day off in how long? It has caught up to you, babe. You're exhausted and you're sick, probably with the flu that the rest of us have passed around."

He coughed miserably. "Don' get sick."

"That's usually true, but I'm afraid you are."

"Don' have time. Too much to do. Governor's council meeting tomorrow morning."

"Steve…you're sick. You're not going to the meeting or working at all for a while, for that matter. Who do I need to call? Danny? And tell him to call Governor Denning? Or Chin?"

"No. Don't call them. They're busy. I'll…handle it. I'll…call Sam," Steve coughed, pulling his phone out of his pocket. While he made the phone call, she moved to the kitchen to check his cabinets and fridge. She could hear the murmur of his deep voice as he talked with Sam, his side of the conversation punctuated with coughs and sniffles, which she knew he hated. She made a list of things she thought they'd need over the weekend. Her list looked much like the grocery bags he'd dropped off by her house last week when she was sick, and—she was assuming—like the ones he'd dropped off with Chin and Danny, too. Even though he had been incredibly busy at work, he'd taken the time to do that, and to check in with each of them at least twice a day. She shook her head, becoming angry all over again with her coworkers.

After a few minutes, she realized she didn't hear his voice anymore and figured the conversation must be over. He had his arms wrapped around his chest and stomach, the blanket drawn tight.

"Did that go okay?" she asked quietly.

Steve nodded. "Yeah. Said to take as much time as I needed. Says I'm owed some time after the last three weeks and not to rush back."

Kono nodded. "That's good. You still cold?"

"Y-yes."

She sat on the edge of the couch, patting his arm sympathetically. "I'm going to take your temperature, okay? We need to see what we're dealing with." Steve nodded.

When the thermometer beeped, Kono gently removed it from Steve's mouth and couldn't believe the reading. "Crap. You don't mess around, do you? It's 103.5."

"I-I'm s-sorry," he said around another hard shiver.

"Why are you apologizing? You can't help you're running a fever—I didn't mean it was a problem; I just meant it was high. There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm going to call my friend Kelly. She's a nurse practitioner at a family practice here in town, the one I go to. I know the governor's latest bulletin said the island was out of antiviral meds, but maybe she'll have some idea what to do for you."

Kono watched him nod listlessly, worried. This seemed to be coming on fast and hard, and if her recent bout was any indication, it was not going to be pleasant—and she _had_ taken the antiviral medication to lessen the symptoms, as had Chin and Danny. They'd talked about how they didn't know how someone would manage without it.

Now it looked like they were going to get firsthand knowledge.

* * *

"His temp is what?!" Kelly asked.

"103.5."

"That's high for an adult. You have got to work on getting it down. If it goes past 104, that's ER territory, okay?"

"Okay. Cool cloths, cool showers, lots of liquids? Is that best?"

"Yeah. It sucks that he's going to have to go through this without the meds. They've really been helping people with this strain. I don't know of anywhere that has any left at all though. The whole island is out. The only other treatment is going to be bedrest and fluids. He has had the flu before, right? So he has some resistance to it?"

"No," Kono replied. "He never gets sick. He hasn't ever had the flu that he can remember. Do I need to make an appointment for him?"

Kelly sighed. "No. From the symptoms you described, plus the fact that your whole team has had it this week, I'm confident it's the flu. Like I said, the best you can do for him is to keep him comfortable. There shouldn't be much of a chance at all of you catching it again. Over the counter meds may help some—Mucinex, any sort of cold and flu relief, but I wouldn't count too much on that helping. Keep Advil or Tylenol in him all the time. He may get nauseous and vomit—there seems to be more of that with this strain than others. Make sure he stays hydrated. Even if he throws up whatever he drinks, it'll still help. He's going to be pretty miserable for a while, I'm afraid. Call me if you need help, or if things get worse, okay? Watch his fever and his breathing—we've seen a lot of people develop pneumonia from this. Does he have someone who could stay with him?"

"I'm staying with him," Kono said without hesitation.

Kelly snorted. "Of course you are."

"Shut up, Kel," Kono said, unable to keep herself from smiling. "I'm just being a good friend."

"Oh, yeah. I can imagine just what a _good friend_ you're planning to be to your very handsome, very sexy boss."

"Whatever, Kel."

"Just remember he's sick, Kono," Kelly teased. "Go easy on him."

Kono laughed. "Kelly!"

"I'm just kidding. Seriously, though, take care of him. Let me know if you need anything—I mean it."

"Thank you," Kono told her friend. "I'll let you know how it goes."

* * *

"Hey," Kono sat on the edge of the couch, rubbing his arm gently. "No luck on the antiviral meds. I'm sorry."

"'S okay," Steve mumbled. "Already knew that."

"I know. I was just hoping, I guess."

"Thanks for trying." He shivered hard again and coughed harshly. "Thank you for bringing me home. You should go now…don't wanna get you sick."

Kono smiled softly. "I've already had it, remember? Everybody has, except you, until now. And Kelly says we won't catch it again anyway. I'm going to stay until you're feeling better, okay? There's no point in arguing. You're sick, and Kelly says you're only going to feel worse over the next few days. You need someone to take care of you."

He looked at her with bleary, tired eyes. "You don't have to."

She smoothed a hand over his hair. "I want to, Steve. Just let me, okay?"

He closed his eyes, snuggling deeper into the blanket. "'Kay," he whispered.

After dosing Steve with Advil, convincing him to drink half a bottle of cool water, and putting cold cloths on his forehead and the back of his neck, Kono decided it was time to call in reinforcements. She didn't necessarily want anyone else there, but she didn't want to leave Steve alone long enough for her to run to the grocery store and pharmacy.

Realizing her phone was nearly dead and she didn't have a charger, she borrowed Steve's.

Danny answered on the first ring. "McGarrett, I swear, if you tell me we have a case—"

"Oh, we have a case," Kono said. "But it's not the kind of case you're thinking."

"Kono? Why do you have Steve's phone? What's going on?"

"My phone's almost dead, so I borrowed his. I'm at his house. I went back to work after dinner because I'd left my phone. He was still there; he'd stayed late to finish everyone's paperwork. I found him asleep with his head on his desk."

"Ah, hell. I knew he looked tired."

"Yeah, well, he's not just tired. He's sick and seems to be getting worse quickly. I drove him home, but there's no way I can leave him. Not that I want to," she quickly clarified. "I mean, it's not a problem. I'm just saying he's in no shape to be by himself."

"Shit. Flu?"

"Yeah. And the whole island is out of antiviral meds."

Danny sighed heavily. "Man. That sucks. I don't know what I would've done without those."

"My friend Kelly is a nurse practitioner and she said all she could suggest was to try to keep him comfortable and keep the fever down. It's at 103.5 right now—"

" _What?!"_

"I know. Anyway, I'm just glad I went back to HQ today." Her tone was clipped.

Danny clearly got the not-so-subtle message. "I get it. I shouldn't have left early."

That was all it took. "Damn right you shouldn't have! He's exhausted! He has worked his ass off covering for all of us, and HPD, and hasn't had a day off since this whole mess started weeks ago, and what do you and Chin both do? You leave him with all the work, just so the two of you can get out of the office early on a Friday."

"I know, Kono. I'm sorry…wait, Chin left too?"

Kono sighed. "Yeah. Right after you. Steve was already feeling bad then, I think, Danny, and I'm pretty sure you hurt his feelings. Not that he's ever going to say that, and I will break your arm if you ever tell him I said that, but still. He was frustrated when I went in his office before I left, and he's usually not like that, but it seemed like more than just the fact that he was having to pick up yours and Chin's slack. Again. I think he was hurt that his two best friends who he'd bent over backwards for, covering for them at work, making sure they had everything they needed at home, picking up their kids for them, dropping off meals, getting prescriptions filled…didn't even care. Or, rather, they cared enough to tell him how bad he looked and how he should get some rest, but that didn't stop them from asking if they could leave early!" Kono knew her tone had turned harsh, but she was angry at both Danny and Chin.

"I'm sorry, Kono. I didn't think…"

"Yeah. Obviously."

Danny could practically feel her rolling her eyes over the phone.

Kono sighed again. "Listen, I know you have Grace—"

"Well, actually—" Danny began. "Rachel asked if she could keep her this weekend. Stan has some sort of company picnic and they'd like her to go."

" _Oh I see_ ," Kono said angrily. "You didn't have Grace but you still just went home…not back to Five-0 to help with all that paperwork."

"Kono, I—"

"No, just forget it. Listen, I don't want to have to ask you for anything, but I don't see a way around it. There are a few things that need to be picked up from the grocery store. If I text you a list, could you get those things for him? I don't think he needs to be left by himself right now, even though I'm sure he'd argue that he'd be fine."

"Of course." She could hear Danny getting keys and closing his front door. "Send me a list. Tell him I'm on my way. And Kono? Tell him I'm sorry."


	4. Chapter 4

In the time it took her to make the phone call, Steve had lost the energy to keep up any of his defenses. Maybe it was because he was exhausted or because he felt so bad, or maybe because he had to admit he was sick to the governor and was told he was staying home until he was completely well. Whatever the reason, he had completely succumbed to the illness and was no longer pretending he was fine.

He coughed into the blanket he was wrapped in and looked at Kono with red, watery eyes. "I don't feel good," he whispered.

"Oh, Steve," she said softly, her stomach twisting in sympathy. "I know. I'm sorry."

"'M gonna go to bed now," he told her, struggling to sit up. She went to stand beside of him, letting him lean on her. He accepted her help without argument, which was a testament to how bad he was feeling.

She eased her arm around his waist, helped him stand, and then guided him toward the stairs. The simple task seemed to take all the energy he had.

He sat on the bed, pulling back the covers.

"Wait," Kono said gently. "You need to change clothes first."

"'Kay," he muttered, lowering his head to his hands and resting his elbows on his thighs. "Just…give me a minute."

"Is it okay if I get your clothes for you?"

Steve nodded without looking up.

Opening the dresser drawer, Kono shook her head and smiled. She had never seen a drawer so neat. She pulled out a t-shirt for him and, after hesitating for a second, grabbed one for herself as well. She found sweatpants in another drawer and tossed those on the bed as well.

"There you go." He took the clothes from her, but then hesitated.

Kono watched him. "You don't want to change clothes in front of me?"

He looked at her sheepishly, not saying anything before dropping his gaze to the floor.

"Do you remember what happened three weeks ago?"

He gave her a tiny smile. "I do."

"Just checking," she teased gently, rubbing his arm. "So you shouldn't be shy about changing clothes in front of me because I've already seen— _and felt—_ everything. I can help you, if you need me to. And that's a completely platonic offer, too. I know you're sick and feel like crap."

As if his body needed to prove that point, he sneezed three times in quick succession. "Ugh. Sorry. That's gross. Definitely unattractive." He threw the tissue away then finished changing clothes.

"I'm not going to use the word 'sexy' right now, but I can go with cute and adorable and maybe a little pitiful."

Steve groaned, lying down and sliding his long legs under the covers. "Yeah. That's what I was going for." He rolled his eyes, but quickly regretted that decision as it only increased the pounding in his head. "Shit." He pressed the heels of his hands against his forehead.

"Headache?" she asked.

"That's an understatement," he replied.

"Kelly suggested a couple of over the counter medicines that might help. Danny's going to pick those up, along with a few other things. He'll be here soon."

Steve frowned. "No. He has Gracie," he mumbled, closing his eyes and pulling the comforter closer around him. "They have plans."

"Well, turns out they don't. Rachel needed to switch weekends."

"That's why he needed to leave early. He had Gracie."

"Apparently she called right after he left."

"Oh." He blinked at her through bleary eyes, trying to make sense of what she was saying.

"Yeah." She huffed a sigh and smoothed the blankets over him. He was shivering badly. "What can I do for you, Steve?"

"I don't know. God, I feel terrible. And I'm freezing. Why is it so cold in here?"

"It's not. It's chills from the fever, sweetie." _Did she just call him sweetie out loud?_ She rubbed a hand across his forehead, still concerned about his temperature. It didn't feel much lower than before. She knew the constant shivering probably wasn't helping matters. Kono thought for a second before saying hesitantly, "Steve? Would it be okay if I got in bed with you? It might help you warm up some."

Steve looked at her in surprise. "You wouldn't mind?"

Kono smiled. "Not at all." Having already changed into the t-shirt she took from his dresser, she shimmied out of her pants and slid under the covers with him, moving to pull him close.

"No, let me turn over. I don't want to breathe on you. Germs and stuff."

"Steve. I told you what Kelly said. You're not going to get me sick. And even if you did, it would be okay. Get over yourself and let me love on you a little bit, okay?"

Steve nodded and Kono wrapped her arms around him. His head immediately went to her chest. She gently ran her fingers through his short hair and he gave a small moan of contentment.

"Feel good?" Kono asked.

"Yeah," Steve mumbled. "Please don't stop."

Kono smiled. "Okay."

She kept rubbing his head and neck until she heard his breathing change, signaling that he had fallen asleep.

* * *

Across town, Danny was taking care to make sure he got everything on Kono's list—and then some—while he called Chin.

"Have you talked to Kono?" Danny asked when Chin picked up.

"Whoa, brah," Chin replied. "No hello?"

"No. We're in trouble with her."

"What'd we do?" Danny could hear the background noise go away as Chin moved to a different room.

"We left early and left Steve to finish our paperwork. I knew he looked tired—hell, I even told him how tired he looked. Turns out, he was coming down with the flu. Kono had to go back to HQ for something and found him sick and asleep. She took him home and is still there…she didn't feel like he needed to be left alone."

"Ah, man. I told him the same thing too."

"Yeah, well, Kono's pretty pissed at both of us. Honestly, I'm a little pissed at myself."

"Yeah. I should've paid more attention, kept a closer eye on him. I knew he had run himself into the ground keeping up with HPD and Five-0. I guess I need to call Kono."

"She texted me a list of stuff to pick up. That's what I'm doing now. Medicines, groceries, that kind of thing. Oh, and there's no antiviral meds anywhere on the island, so he's just out of luck. Kono's friend Kelly gave her a few ideas of over the counter stuff, but said most of it wouldn't help too much. He's running a fever of 103.5."

"Oh, gosh, Danny."

"I know."

"He was so good to me and Melia when we had it. When we got sick our cabinets were pretty much empty. I don't know what we would've done if it hadn't been for him taking care of groceries and a few meals for us…and we never even asked him to. He just did it, you know?"

"I think he did it for all of us, all at the same time, all while working insane hours and holding everything together." Even though Chin couldn't see him, Danny shook his head. "It sounds like it has all caught up to him now, though."

* * *

After not getting an answer when he knocked on the door, Danny used his spare key to unlock Steve's front door. There had only been six things on Kono's list, but Danny lugged in multiple bags of groceries. He had bought everything he thought Steve might need—Kleenexes, cough syrup, several different cold and flu medicines, more Advil and Tylenol. He had also stocked up on everything he thought Steve might be able to eat or drink—juice, soup, popsicles, Gatorade, bottles of water, crackers, fresh fruit, and more.

Although he knew Steve would never admit it, he realized Steve had probably been hurt, or at least disappointed in, the behavior of his best friends and, honestly, Danny felt he had every right to be. Danny was a nurturer by nature. This afternoon had simply been a small blemish on an otherwise stellar record of mother henning. And he was determined to fix it.


End file.
